The ugly toad may hold key to scar-free healing

BEIJING: The ugly toad may not be that unpleasant-looking after all, if the latest discovery by Chinese scientists is anything to go by.

Chinese scientists have discovered a substance in the amphibian skin which could help promote skin tissue regeneration and repair, thus helping wounds heal without scars.

The formation of scar tissue is a common by-product of wound repair, leading to serious clinical dysfunction and aesthetic problems. Thus, how to promote tissue regeneration while avoiding and reducing scar formation is of great concern.

Scientists from Kunming Institute of Zoology under Chinese Academy of Sciences have found that the pore-forming proteins in the skin of Bombina maxima, a species of toad in southwest China, have the function of inducing tissue repair and promoting scar-free healing of wounds.

According to Xinhua news agency, the lead researcher, Zhang Yun said he received inspiration from the characteristics of amphibian skin.

“The skin of amphibians bears the functions of breathing and water-salt balance, and wound repairs must be scar-free so as not to damage the physiological functions and cause fatal consequences.”

Zhang said the substance could not only promote wound healing but also helped to reduce traumatic edema, avoid scar formation and protect skin wounds against antibiotic-resistant bacterial infection.

This research further explained the mechanism of tissue regeneration and scar formation and also provided a reference for the development of scar-free therapeutic drugs.

The research was published in the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology Journal. – Bernama